Lakers general manager Rob Pelinka does not believe the Lakers will be forced to choose between keeping the bulk of its young core intact and making significant trades. Regardless, the team faces another offseason of serious roster evaluation. (AP Photo/Nick Ut)

EL SEGUNDO>> With all the unanswered questions and scenarios surrounding the Lakers going into the offseason, General Manager Rob Pelinka likened the process to trying to solve a Rubik’s Cube puzzle.

“There’s a thousand different ways to turn the cube to get it and it all lines up,” Pelinka said. “You’ll eventually do it.”

The Lakers eventually want to rejoin the league’s title contenders, but no matter how Pelinka and Lakers president of basketball operations Magic Johnson try to assemble a roster capable of that, Pelinka sounds certain of one thing. He does not believe he will have to choose between keeping the Lakers’ young core intact or making trades.

“I think it’s both. You never want to just make a trade to say we need to go make a splash,” Pelinka said. “Everything we want to do is be really really thoughtful, deliberate and intelligent.”

Coach Luke Walton said he spent “99 percent of the time coaching (the past few months),” but he will now shift gears to spending time with Pelinka and Johnson. After spending Thursday conducting exit meetings with players, Walton already has a sense for the front office leaders’ leanings.

“They both believe in the young core we have. They believe with time we’ll be able to get it done,” Walton said, “But at the same time, they’ll be looking for different ways to make the team more successful sooner rather than later. It’s kind of a fine line in balancing all of that.”

What the Lakers do partly hinges on how they fare in the NBA draft lottery on May 16. Having finished with the NBA’s third-worst record (26-56), the Lakers have a 46.9 percent chance of keeping their top three-protected draft pick. If not, the selection transfers to Philadelphia as part of the 2011 Steve Nash trade. If the Lakers hold on to it, the pick could become another elite young player, an asset that could be packaged in a trade or it could make an existing player(s) more expendable.

Pelinka downplayed those components.

“We’re prepared if we have it,” Pelinka said. “We also have a plan if we don’t.”

Still, the Lakers face added challenges if they don’t. On one hand, the Lakers still have a late first-round pick and salary cap space to sign one max-contract player. On the other hand, late first-round players rarely blossom into stars and the Lakers might not have the infrastructure to attract a marquee free agent.

“I anticipate there are many stars that understand how unique this Los Angeles Lakers platform is, and I’m fully convinced we will have one or more than one come,” Pelinka said. “To put a timetable on it, I can’t do that. But I do think as we engage in conversations with voices of influence, it seems like the current of the river has shifted.”

Pelinka indirectly alluded to former UCLA freshman Lonzo Ball saying he would like the Lakers to draft him. After the Lakers failed to secure a free agency meeting with Kevin Durant last season, Pelinka said he has heard “rumblings” of unnamed free agents expressing interest.

Meanwhile, Lakers governor Jeanie Buss recently said on a Forbes podcast it would “break her heart” if the Lakers did not have a player participating in the All-Star Game when it returns to Staples Center next season.

“I think Jeanie’s call and what we’re working on is to bring a championship to the Lakers,” Pelinka said. “I think her point about having an All-Star. We all know to get to a championship, you’re probably going to need multiple All-Stars on your roster. That’s a step toward the ultimate destination.”

Pelinka is focused on that.

While the Lakers informed 37-year-old forward Metta World Peace they do not plan to re-sign him, they lack clarity elsewhere. The Lakers expressed interest in Nick Young, though the veteran guard suggested he will opt out of his $5.67 million player option and hopes to play for a playoff team. The Lakers offered no assurances to their players who will become unrestricted free agents (Tyler Ennis, Thomas Robinson), those with a team option (David Nwaba) or a non-guaranteed contract (Tarik Black).

Meanwhile, Pelinka said he has installed a wellness program that provides more clarity on each players’ weight-training regimen, dietary habits and sleeping patterns. He plans to invite outside speakers next season. And Pelinka said “guys that aren’t committed to excellence won’t be here,” including players and members of the front office.

All of which explains why Pelinka said he will be aggressive this offseason.

“I’d rather have 100 opportunities to look at and say no 99 times and one yes than not look at those 100 things and get zero yeses,” Pelinka said. “You have to be out there aggressively pursuing options. You’ve got to put things in motion.”

Mark Medina has been the Lakers beat writer for the Los Angeles Daily News since 2012. He also works as a Lakers insider for AM570 and is heard on national radio outlets, including The Dan Patrick Show, The Herd with Colin Cowherd, The Chris Mannix Show, Fox Sports Radio, CBS Sports Radio, Yahoo! Sports Radio and SB Nation Radio. Medina also appears frequently on Spectrum SportsNet and NBC4's "Going Roggin."